Sheet feeder



Aug. 15, 1933- c. w. HARROLD SHEET FEEDER Filed April 10, 1928 '7 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1933. c. w. HARROLD SHEET FEEDER Filed April 10, 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet. 2

ENTOR 45/?040.

ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1933.

C. W. HARROLD SHEET FEEDER Filed April 10, 1928 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR fiFOLD.

CHAVRLES W152 ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1933- c. w. HARROLD SHEET FEEDER Filed April 10, 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 IBVENTOR CZ ARLES WHFFOLD:

ATTORNEY Aug..15,1933 ,6. w. HARROLD wzzme SHEET FEEDER v Filed April 10, 1928 v Sheets-Sheet 5 TTORNEY Aug. 15 M33.

1;. w. HARROLD SHEET FEEDER Filed April 10, 1928 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR Cl/H/PLES 54/??040.

ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1933. c. w. HARROLD SHEET FEEDER Filed April 10, 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR Can/ass mfiwow.

ATTORN EY Patented Aug 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE SHEET FEEDER Application April 10, 1928. Serial No. 268,825

13 Claims.

- r My invention relates generally to improvements in sheet feeders for automatically advancing successive sheets of paper or other impression-receiving material to printing, folding or ruling machines, or to such other forms of machines as are devised to operate thereafter on such sheets, and more particularly to mechanisms for positioning the advanced sheets about to be seized by printing machines so that they will be printed in accurate register as is especially required in multicolor printing presses. The devices which I have shown are intended to position the sheet longitudinally only since the devices for positioning same laterally are no part of my 5 present invention, and therefore are not shown. My improvements may be used with any form of sheet separatorby which sheets are separated from a pile or bank and then presented one by one to the cylinder of a printing press which may have various forms of printing couples.

. The objectsof my invention are, among other things, to provide a sheet feeder of this character embodying separate devices capable of performing accurate and efficient work in so presenting the sheets with great rapidity to the impression or feeding cylinders of printing machines so that each sheet will be seized or gripped while at rest by the sheet-taking devices of the cylinder in the same accurate register or relation to such 30 cylinder as all other sheets; also to provide a feeder with a detector mechanism which will automatically trip' the cylinders of the printing machine and also stop the feeding mechanism should a sheet fail to be presented to the press cylinder or be improperly fed thereto.

A further feature of my invention is to provide an improved sheetieeding device which will receive and grip the sheet while both sheet and feeding member are at re'st'thereby avoiding any disturbance in sheet-register, and then will deliver and front-register the sheet by accelerating the speed of the feed member over that of the press cylinder by overfeeding against fixed stops working with the press cylinder during the time of delivery or transfer of the sheet from the feeding device to the press cylinder so that the sheet will register on the press cylinder at the moment of transfer to the latter.

A further feature of my invention is to provide an oscillating feed member having grippers which ,are adapted to close on the stationary sheet when the feed member is completing the last part of its reverse movement,'such grippers having adjustable stops which will strike the edge of the stationary sheet so as to bring such sheet readily grippers.

into front register against such stops while the feeding mechanism has a slight rearward movement and the grippers are closing on the sheet; thereafter the feed member on its forward movement delivers the registered sheet to the press cylinder as hereinbefore described. By this improved mechanism the feed-member in its reverse stroke is overfed against theedge of the sheet as the grippers close, and thereafter follows an overfeeding of the feed member against the press cylinder when transferring the sheet to such cylinder on its forward stroke. Another feature is to provide novel operating means for the grippers carried by the oscillating feed member, which means will actuate the grippers while the feed member is stationary, in conjunction with means for shifting the gripper-actuating mechanism out of the gripper path when not required. to perform its function in opening the I have also provided improved devices for shifting the front stops on the registry table arranged below the oscillating feed member when moved to its rear sheet-taking position so as to change the registry of the sheet relatively to the feed member before the sheet is seized while at rest by the grippers carried by the feed member.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, my invention comprises the constructions and operating parts forming the improved sheet feeder hereinshown-and hereinafter to be described as a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a three cylinder rotary printing-press in more or less diagrammatic form, this machine being taken for purposes of illustration to show the application of my novel and improved sheet-feeding EH1 positioning mechanisms;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the driving clutch for the feeder shown adjacent the pile of paper in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view looking from the rear of the machine; I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of certain parts shown to the right in Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail side view of the connecting pin and lever in unlocked position;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the parts moved to a different position as the sheet is being transferred to the press cylinder;

Fig. 7 is a detail side view of certain parts shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view' similar to Fig. 5 but the parts are in connected or locked position;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side view showing the feed I the press cylinder grippers are seizing the sheet at the moment of transfer;

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the registering plunger;

Fig. 12 is an edge view on the line 1212 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged side view showing the feed member grippers closing on the sheet as the feed-member is being moved at the end of its rearward stroke against the leading edge of the sheet; and

Fig. 15 is a detail view showing a stop device for the feed member to bring same to a positive stop when its grippers take the sheet.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, the stack or pile of paper 16 is supported on a table from which the successive top sheets 1'7 are separated by any suitable sheet separator (not shown). The sheets 1'7 are advanced by the separator into the bite of the feed rolls 18 and 19 (Fig. 1), the lower roll 19 being driven in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 2) from the bevel gear 20 mounted on the shaft 21 having the bevel gear 22 engaging the bevel gear 23 carried by the horizontal shaft 24. The shaft 24 is driven by the bevel gear 25 which engages with the gear 26 mounted on the shaft 27 of the impression cylinder 28 which is rotated as indicated by the arrow in a clockwise direction from any suitable source of power (not shown).

The three cylinder rotary printing press equipped with my improvements comprises the form or plate cylinder 29, the blanket or transfer cylinder 30, and the impression cylinder 28, all of which are of like diameter and are geared together to rotate in unison as shown in Fig. 1. The shaft 31 of the blanket cylinder is mounted in eccentric bearings 32 actuated by the arm 33 by which the cylinder 30 may be tripped or thrown out of printing relation with the cylinders 28 and 29 in the well-known manner. These three cylinders comprising the press are mounted on shafts journalled in the side-frames 34 and 35 (Figs. 1, 3 and 13).

The drive for the lower feed-roll 19 is shown more particularly in Fig. 2, and comprises the following devices: The roll 19 is loosely mounted on the shaft 35 to which is fastened the collar 36 having the toothed notch 3'7 cut in its periphery. Pinned at 38 to the end of the feedroll 19 is the dog 39 adapted to engage and be held in the notch 3'7 by the force of the compression spring 40 arranged between the dog 39 and the lug 41 mounted on the end of the feed roll 19. The heel 42 of the dog 39 projects beyond the periphery of the roll 19 and is adapted to be engaged by the tip 43 of the rock-lever 44 pivoted at 45 to the side-frames of the feeder. The full lines in Fig. 2 show the clutch members in engagement to drive the feed-roll 19 from the shaft 21, and the tip 43 is then held out of range with the heel 42 of the dog 39 as the feed-roll 19 is rotated. When. the rock-lever 44 is rocked in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2) as shown in dotted lines, the tip 43 engages the heel 42 and disengages the dog 39 from the notch 3'7 and stopsthe revolutions of the feedroll 19 and the feeding of the sheets 1'7 from the pile 16. The rock-lever 44 is actuated by the link 46 connected to the rock-lever 46 in turn actuated by the horizontal rod 4'7 from the rock-lever 48 which is operated by a trip mechanism hereinafter to be described. Pivoted to the rock-lever 48 is the link 49 which is pinned to the arm 33 on the eccentric bearings 32 of the blanket cylinder 30. When the rock-lever 48 v is rocked in a clockwise direction the 'driving. clutch for the feed-roll 19 is disconnected and the arm 33 is swung to the left, thereby automatically stopping the feed mechanism for the sheets 17 and tripping the impression by separating the cylinder 30 from the cylinders 28 and 29.

After passing through the feed-rolls 18 and 19 the successive sheets are carried forwardly by the feed-table rollers 50 over the guide plate 51 until the front or leading edge of the sheet 17 comes in contact with the weighted detector fingers 52 mounted on the pins 53 carried by the brackets 54 secured below the guide-plate 51 (Fig. 4). The tips 55 of the detector fingers 52 swing in slots 56 formed in the guide plate 51 (Fig. 6), and in normal position the tips 55 are alined a slight distance rearwardly of the stop fingers 57 as shown in Fig. 6. When the front edge of the sheet 17 pushes the detector fingers 52 forwardly, the lower ends swing upwardly to permit the front end 53 of the bell crank lever 59 to move upwardly by the force of the coil-spring 60 pinned to the lever end 58 and to the sideframes not shown (Figs. 4 and 6). The bell crank lever 59 is keyed to the stub-shaft 61' to which is fastened the lever arm 62 joined by the short link 63 to the connecting pin 64 (Fig. 5) slidable through the block 64 on the lever arm 65 keyed to the rock-shaft 66 journalled in the side frame 35 (Figs. 3 and 13). The pin 64 on being raised by the upward movement of the lever arm 62 is adapted to move into the aperture 67 formed in the bell-crank lever 68 pivoted to the rock- Shaft 66.

The rear end 69 of the bell-crank lever 59 has a slotted end '70 (Fig. 4) connected with the pin '71 on the cam arm '72 pinned at '73 to the side frame 35 (Figs. 3 and 13), the arm '72 carrying the cam-roller 74 which is adapted to be engaged by the single high spot of the cam '75 mounted on the cam-shaft '76 journalled in the side-frames 34 and 35 when the arm '72 is lowered from its Fig. 6 position.

The cam-shaft '76 is driven by 'gear '77 mounted thereon adjacent the side-frame 34 (Fig. 13), the gear '77 engaging the gear 78 mounted on the stub-shaft '79. The shaft '79 carries the gear 80 which is driven by the gear 81 mounted on the impression cylinder shaft 27 as shown in Fig. 1. By this train of gearing the cam-shaft '76 is rotated in the same direction as the impression-cylinder 28 (Fig. 4)

When the stub-shaft 61 is rocked anti-clocke v v wise bythe spring 60 after the detector finger 52 has been swung to its Fig. 4 position by the advanced sheet 17, the rear end 69 of the lever 59 is moved downwardly carrying with it the cam-arm '72 and thereby allows thecam-roller '74 to be brought into operative engagement with the cam '75 (Fig. 4). The stop fingers 5'7 (six being shown in alinement in Figs. 3 and 13) are fastened to the cross shaft 82 the ends of which are carried in eccentric bearings 83 mounted in the side-frame 34 and 35. The eccentric bearings 83 have operating arms 84 which are engaged by screw threaded bolts 85 passing through brackets 86 in the side-frames 34 and 35 by which the arms 84 may be adjusted to shift the eccentric bearings 83 to finally adjust the transverse position of the stop fingers 57. Such adjustment for the stop fingers 57 through the manually-operated bolts 85 enables the operator to get more or less gripper bite on the front margins of the sheets 17, and also enables the operator to swing such sheet at either corner so as to register properly with the plate on the form cylinder 29 without moving the plate on such cylinder.

Keyed to the shaft 82 is the rearwardly-extending arm 87 connected by the link 88 to the slotted lug 89 (Figs. 4, 6 and '7) which engages the pin 89 on the lever 90 fastened to the shaft 66. Such lever 90 has a rear arm extension 91 to which is pinned the cam-roller 92 which engages the cam 93 fastened to the cam-shaft 76 (Fig. 7) The action of the cam 93 on the camroller 92 is to rock the shafts 66 and 82 at a predetermined part of the cycle and thereby lift the stop fingers 57 from engagement with the front edge of the sheet 17 after the feed-member grippers have seized the sheet (Fig. 10). The front arm 94 of the lever 90 carries the camlug 95 which is devised-to operate the sheet-engaging grippers on the oscillating feed-member hereafter to be described, the raising of the arm 94 being caused by the cam-roller 92 following the drop of the cam 93.

The feeding mechanism for taking the sheets 17 after they have been advanced and registered against the stop fingers 57 comprises the following devices: The rock-shaft 96 is journalled in the side frames 34 and 35 and adjustably secured to the shaft 9 by the screws 97 (Figs. 3 and 13) are the oscillatable, radially disposed feed members 98 (six being shown in Fig. 3) which are similar in construction and operation. Mounted on the shaft 96 are the feed sectors 99 in which the gripper rock-shaft 100 is journalled as shown in Fig. 3. The sheet grippers are bell crank in shape, the upper arm 101 carrying the roller 102 while the lower extension forms the gripper fingers 103; the upper arm 101 is fastened to one of the rock-shaft 100 (Figs. 3 and 13), and the coiled compression spring 104 (Figs. 6, 9 and 10) holds the gripper roller 102 against the cam-lug 95 on the lever arm 94 in the usual way so that when the lever 90 is rocked in an anti-clockwise direction, the gripper fingers 103 will close and grip the front margin of the sheet 17 along its undersurface and clamp same against the lower ends of the feed members 98 (Fig. 9). Due to the slot arrangement in the lug 89 there will be no movement of the stop fingers 57 until the pin 89 on the lever 90 is in contact with the upper edge of the slot in lug 89 which will then draw down the arm 87 and cause an anti-clockwise rotation of the shaft 82 and lift the stop fingers 57 out of the path of the sheet 17 which has been advanced and is at rest in registered position against such stop fingers.

An anti-clockwise movement is then given to the rock-shaft 96 and also to the oscillating feedmembers 98 carrying the sheet held by the gripper fingers 103 by the following mechanism: Keyed to the shaft 96 is the pinion 104 which engages the toothed sector 105 pivoted to the short shaft 106 fixed to the side-frame 35. Also pivoted to the shaft 106 is the cam arm 107 carrying the cam-roller 108 which rides in the camgroove 109 formed in one end of the impression cylinder 28. The sector 105 is rocked up and down through the revolutions of the impression cylinder 28, such sector 105 giving the gripper fingers 103 seizing the sheet a greater peripheral speed than the surface speed of the cylinder 28. The outer end of the cam arm 107 is provided with a bolt 110 which slides through the hole 111 formed in the bracket 112 of the sector 105 and the compression spring 113 coiled about the bolt 110 between the bracket 112 and the adjusting nuts 114 tends to force the end of the cam-arm 107 against the plate 115 formed at the lower end of the sector 105 (Figs. 4 and 9) while in another part of the cycle the cam-arm 107 is raised from the plate 115 while putting the spring 113 under compression (Figs. 6 and 10). The purpose of this compensating device in the operation of the toothed sector 105 under the influence of the cam 109 will hereinafter be set forth.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 9 and 10, the gripper fingers 103 have now closed on the sheet 17 as shown in Fig. 9, while such sheet is at rest andregistered against the stop fingers 57 which are then lifted as before described when the cam-roller 108 travels through the drop of the cam-groove 109, the cam 93 being set in timed relation to cause the fingers 57 to lift at this part of the cycle. Further movement of the cam 109 (indicated by arrows) will raise the cam-arm 107 and sector 105 which gives an anti-clockwise rotation to the pinion 104 and also an oscillating movement to the right for the feed-members 98 which carry the grippers 103 holding the sheet 17 to transfer the latter onto the impression cylinder 28 and into the path of its gripper devices which re-register the front edge of the sheet at 110 the point of transfer shown more particularly in Fig. 10. At this point the gripper-roller 102 for the feed-members 98 has left the cam-lug 95 on the lever arm 94 due to the action of the com pression spring 104 and the gripper fingers 103 115 are held in gripping relation with the sheet 17 until they have reached their Fig. 10 position when the roller 102 has been brought into contact with the lug 116' on the lever '11? journalled on the pin 11:; in the side-frame 35 (Figs. 6, 10 and 0 13). The lever 117 has the downwardly extending arm 117 connected by the link 119 to the arm 120 of the lever 90 (Fig. 7).

The gripper devices for the impression cylinder 28 comprise the gripper fingers 121 mounted on 1125 the gripper bar 122 journalled in the cylinder 28; fastened to the bar 122 is the rock arm 123 carrying the roller 124 to engage the cam 125 secured to the side-frame 35. The roller 124 is held in engagement with the cam 125 by the spring 126 139 as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. When the sheet 17 is carried to its Fig. 10 position, the roller 124 rides off the cam 125 and the gripper fingers 121 close on the front margin of the sheet. A slight further movement of the impression cylinder 28 in a clockwise direction will bring the gripperroller 102 for the gripper-fingers 103 so as to ride under the lug 116 on the lever 117 thereby opening the gripper fingers 103 to release the sheet 140 now held by the cylinder grippers 121. In this construction both the feed-members 98 and sector 105 have an oscillating movement in each cycle and during the return or idle movement the high point of the cam 93 lifts the roller 92 on the rear arm 91 which swings the arm 120 to the left (Fig. 7), and thereby pulls the link 119 in the same direction to raise the lug 116 on the lever 117 out of the path of the gripper roller 102 during the rearward movement or return 109. Such path causes an up and down movement for the sector 105 and an oscillating motion for the feed-members 98 at an accelerated speed with respect to the impression cylinder 28. The shape of the cam-groove 109 carrying the roller 108 is so proportioned that the face speed of the grippers on the feed members 98 is accelerated so that such grippers are travelling at a greater speed than the surface speed of the impression cylinder 28 as the grippers approach this cylinder to deliver the sheet, such overfeed or excess speed being taken up by the compensating mechanism now to be described; Loosely mounted on the shaft 96 adjacent the side-frame 34 (Figs. 3 and 13) is the gear 127 which meshes with the gear 81 keyed to the impression cylinder shaft 27. The gear 127 carries the tapered 'or bevel-surfaced lug 128 while the adjacent feed-sector 99 carries the upwardly extended arm 129 provided with a spring-actuated plunger pin 130 (Figs. 11 and 12) When the gripper fingers 103 are gripping the sheet against the feed-members 98, the sectors 99 are held stationary, but the gears 127 and 81 are rotating with impression cylinder 28, and at this -moment the lug 128 on the gear 127 is just to the right of the plunger pin 130 on the arm 129. As the lug 128 passes under the pin 130 no movement of the sectors 99 takes place, since the pin 130 rides up on the inclined surface of the lug 128. The lug 128 then travels in an anti-clockwise direction beyond the sector 99 (Fig. 9), but at this time the irregular surface of the cam-groove 109 engages the cam-roller 108 and the sector 105 together with the feedmember 98 and sectors 99 begin to move from their Fig. 4 to their Fig. 6 positions, such movement becoming accelerated through the revolutions of the gear 127 until the plunger pin 130 on the arm 129 overtakes the lug 128 and the shank of the plunger pin 130 engages the straight side of the lug 128 so as to cause a pressure through the teeth of the gears 127 and 81. These teeth in the gear 81 form fixed stops controlling the position of the lug-128 and thereby position the oscillating feed members 98 with the lug 128 controlling the registration of the sheet on the feed members whileit is delivered to the cylinder 28. The feed sector 99 through this plunger 130 connection is therefore held in close contact with the lug 128, and this relation continues while rotating through the portion of the cam-groove 109 (Fig.9 to Fig. 10). The feed members 98 are oscillated against fixed stops (teeth of the gear 81) through the gear 127 and its lug 128 by the pin 130 carried on the arm 129 contacting with the'lug 128 (Figs. 11 and 12). In Fig. 9 the'plate 115 engages the end of the cam arm 107 where it is held by the.

the lug 128 thereby to hold back the movement.

of the feed members 98 and sector 105 so that the cam arm 107 has been unseated from the abutment plate 115 and has compressed the spring 113. Because of the irregular surface of the cam-groove 109 the travel or speed of the feed sectors 99 would not exactly coincide with that of the gear 127, but this difference is compensated by the differential mechanism in conjunction with the spring bolt 110 and cam-arm 107 construction which I have hereinbefore described.

Referring to Fig. 14, an alternative form for operating the oscillating feed-mechanism is shown in which adjustable stops 131 are afiixed to the ends of the feed-members 98 by regulating screws 132, and the feed-members 98 are also provided with rearwardly extending guides 133. The-cam-groove 134 in the cylinder 28 is very'similar to the'cam groove 109 except that the dwell point 135-is somewhat exaggerated and a secondary reverse movement for the feedmembers 98 through the downward movement of the sector 105 isshown at the end of the reverse stroke by the slight depression 136 immediately following the dwell point 135 where the feed-members 98 normally stop their rearward travel. By this construction the stops 131 are backed against the front edge of the stationary sheet 17 through this slight retrograde movement of the feed-members 98, and while the gripper fingers 103 are closing on the sheet. It is also of advantage to keep the body of the sheet from movement while this short back-up of the feed-members 98 is taking place against the sheet and the gripper fingers 103 are closing on the sheet. 'To so hold the sheet 17,1 have provided the transverse shaft 157 which is free to rock in the side frames 34 and 35. Aflixed to the shaft 157 are a series of spaced-apart sheetholders 158 (only one being shown in Fig. 14) which carry the stops 159 that are adapted to be lowered to bear on the sheet 17 and hold same against the guide plate 51. The cam-arm 160 is mounted on the shaft 157 and has pinned thereto the cam-roller 161 which engages the cam 162 fastened to the rock shaft 96. The spring 163 pinned to the arm 160holds the camroller 161 on the cam 162. When the roller 161 rides out of the drop of the cam 162 the stops 159 are raised to release the sheet 17 then under the control of the feed members 98 and gripper fingers 103. In operation the sheet 17 is advanced to the stops 131 and is side-registered by any suitable devices (not shown): As the sheets are being side-registered, the cam-roller 108 will drop into the depression 136 giving a slight backward movement to the shaft 96 and feed-members 98 thereby bring the front edge of the sheet 17 in front register with the stops 131 when the grippers 103 are closing on the sheet. At this part of the cycle the stops 159 are holding the body of the sheet and when the stops 131 move .rearwardly the front margin of the sheet is members 98 to change the front register of the sheet relatively to .the impression cylinder 28. Referring to Fig. 15 I have shown a stop device for the feed-members 98 located on the rock shaft 96. The ratchet-collar 137 is secured adjustably to the shaft 96 adjacent the side-frame 34 and has the single tooth 138 out therein; the springpressed pawl 139 is pivoted on the eccentric stud 140 journalled in side-frame 34. The ratchet collar 137 is set on the shaft 96 in relation with the pawl 139 so that the feed-members 98 will always come to a positive stop to ensure accurate register when the gripper fingers 103 take the sheet as shown in Fig. 15. The shifting of the stud 140 provides a fine adjustment for the pawl 139 to vary the rearward stroke of the feed-members 98.

- a sheet fail to be presented to the stops 57 and.

gripper fingers 103 or should a sheet present itself in an irregular or crooked position. As shown in Fig. 3, there are two detector fingers 52 in spaced relation transversely of the feeder. In Fig. 6.

the fingers 52 are shown in position in readiness for the oncoming sheet. Should the sheet 17 fail to contact with the upper end of the finger 52 or the sheet present itself with one side or corner ahead of the other, it will be seen that one corner may contact and push one finger 52 forwardly while the other detector finger 52 holds its Fig. 6 position. When any of the detector fingers 52 fails to be moved, the lever end 58 is held in its lowered position (Fig. 6), and through its connection with the pin 64 before described, the cam-roller 141 on the lever arm 142 rides on the cam '93, and when it reaches the drop in the .cam 93, the lever 143, link 144, the bell crank pawl 145 on the pin 146 are actu ated to cause the arm 147 of the pawl 145 to be moved into the path of the lug 148 on the arm 91, thereby holding the cam-roller 92 out of engagement with the cam 93 (Fig. 6). The forward arm 149 of the pawl 145 is raised to lift the latch member 150 from its locking engagement with the notched collar 151 (Fig. 4) keyed to the cross-shaft 152 (Fig. 6). This shaft 152 is caused to rock in a clockwise direction by the spring 153 (Fig. 4) and lowers the rock-arm 154 and the link 155 to rock the lever 48 anti-clockwise to shift the blanket cylinder 30 from the cylinders 28 and 29, and also simultaneously disconnect the dog 39 from the notch 37 of the feeding clutch as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The handlelever 156 is also keyed to the shaft 152 (Figs. 3, 4 and 6) so that the operator may trip the press and feeder at will. Fig. 6 shows the latch members disconnected. When the press is again started the rotation of the cam 93 will cause the bell-crank pawl 145 to rock to its Fig. 4 position and thereby the latch member 150 with the collar 151 will again engage with the feeder in operative position. Since the relationship and operation of the various devices have been set forth in detail as well as their connections whereby they cooperate with one another, a detailed description of the entire operation of my sheet-feeder is not required.

The general operation of my improved sheetfeeder, however, is substantially as follows: Fig. 1 shows the successive sheets 17 passing forwardly through the feed-rolls 18 and 19 and over the table rollers 50; as the sheet 17 approaches the detector fingers 52 (Fig. 6), the cam roll 74 on the arm 72 is momentarily engaged by the high spot of the cam rotating in a clockwise direction. This engagement lifts the arm 72 and thereby rocks the bell crank lever 59 in a clockwise direction to move its forward end 58 out of contact with the lower ends of the fingers 52 which then swings into the position shown in Fig. 6 and also raises the connecting pin 64 into the aperture 67 (Fig. 8) While this is taking place the upper ends of the detector fingers 52 are engaged and pushed forwardly by the front edge of the sheet 17 which is then alined against the stop fingers 57, thereby shifting the lower ends of the fingers 52 from their Fig. 6 position to that shown in Fig. 4. As the cam roll 74 passes onto the lower portion of the cam 75 (Fig. 4), the bell crank lever 57 is rocked in an anti-clockwise direction by the pull of the spring 60, and the connecting pin 64 is withdrawn from the aperture 67 as shown in Fig; 5. Thereafter the cam-roller 74 on the arm .72 is engaged by the cam 75 when the arm 72 is lowered to its Fig. 6 position, which movement also brings the cam-roller 92 into engagement with the cam 93 by which the shaft 66 and 82 are rocked in an anti-clockwise direction to lift the stop fingers 57 (Fig. 10) from engagement with the leading edge of the sheet. Before such fingers 57 are lifted the cam-lug 95 has opened the sheet-gripper fingers 103 as the roller 102 passes to the left along the cam-lug 95 (Figs. 4 and 9) with the feed-sectors 99 and feed-members 98 at the limit of their reverse stroke and the cam-roller 108 in the drop of the cam 109. As the impression cylinder 28 rotates in a clockwise direction the sector 105 is lifted as the roller 108 rides out of the drop of the cam 109 and as shown in Figs. 4,6 and 10 to oscillate the feed-members 98 and sheet-grippers 103 in their forward stroke to the right at a speed somewhat greater than the constant peripheral speed of the cylinder 28 by which movement of the feed members 98 the sheet is transferred and overfed under the cylinder grippers 121 at the point of transfer (Fig. 10), which grippers 121 first close on the sheet after its front edge has been registered through this overfeeding movement, and then the carrier gripper fingers 103 release the sheet when the roller 102 engages the lug 116 as has been hereinbefore described. In this operation the sheet is registered against stops on the oscillating feed members 98 to be delivered to the cylinder 28 by overfeeding the members 98 against the fixed stops on the-cylinder 28 during the time of transfer of the sheet. The sheet 17 (now held to the impression cylinder 28 by is out of their path so that the fingers 103 are then free to swing rearwardly in the opening in the cylinder 28. Fig. 14 shows the relation of the parts of the alternative construction in which a slight secondary reverse movement is imparted to the feed-members 98 by which the stops 131 are backed against the stationary sheet at the moment the gripper fingers 103 are closing on the sheet. Such sheet is therefore seized by the gripper-fingers 103 while the feedmembers 98 and grippers 103 arebeing moved backwardly against the stationary sheet 17 which is thereby registered against the stops 131.

The various parts of my feeding mechanism may be adjusted crosswise of the machine to bring same in correct relation with sheets of different widths; also I do not wish to be restricted to the forms shown or to the combinations set forth since many of these separate features of invention may be used independently and in Various kinds of machines other than printing presses.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sheet feeder, an oscillatable sheetfeeding member and an adjustable stop device comprising an eccentrically mounted pawl coacting with a ratchet connected with said member to variably limit the rearward. stroke of said feeding member.

2. In a sheet feeder, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed and having fixed stops adjacent its periphery, an oscillatable sheet-feeding member having sheet-taking devices for forwarding sheets to said cylinder, means for positioning the sheet against stops before taken by said feeding member, and means for moving said member with the sheet at a speed greater than that of said cylinder and then engaging and registering against said stops while delivering the sheet in registry therewith to said cylinder, said feed-member moving at cylinder speed during sheet transfer.

3. In a sheet feeder, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed and having fixed stops adjacent its periphery, an oscillatable sheetfeeding member having sheet grippers for forwarding sheets to said cylinder, means for positioning the sheet against stops before taken by said feeding-member, means for closing the grippers on the sheet while at rest, and means for moving said member and grippers closed on the sheet at a speed greater than that of said cylinder and then engaging and registering against said stops while delivering the sheet in registry therewith to said cylinder, said feed-member moving at cylinder speed during sheet transfer.

4. In a sheet feeder, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed and having fixed stops adjacent its periphery, an oscillatatable sheet-feeding member having sheet grippers for forwarding sheets to said cylinder, means for positioning the sheet against stops before taken by said feeding-member, means for closing the grippers on the sheet while said member and sheet are at rest, and means for moving said member and grippers closed on the sheet at a speed greater than that of said cylinder and then engaging and registering against said stops while delivering the sheet in registry therewith to said cylinder, said feed-member moving at cylinder speed during sheet transfer.

5. A sheet feeder for printing-presses, comprising, in combination, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed and havingfront-registering means associated with its peripheray, an oscillatable sheet-feeding member for forwarding a sheet to the press, means for front-registering the sheet before taken by said feeding-member, means for imparting an accelerated movement to said member and sheet relatively to the speed of said cylinder, and means for front-registering the sheet at the end of its accelerated movement and then delivering the sheet to said cylinder and press while said feed-member is moving at the speed of the cylinder.

6. A sheet feeder for printing-presses, comprising, in combination, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed and having frontregistering means associated with its periphery,

an oscillatable sheet-feeding member for forwarding a sheet to the press, means for frontregistering the sheet while the latter is seized by said feeding-member, means for imparting an accelerated movement to said member and sheet relatively to the speed of said cylinder, and means for front-registering the sheet at the end of its accelerated movement and then delivering the sheet to said cylinder and press while said feedmember is moving at the speed of the cylinder.

7. In a sheet feeder for printing-presses, a rotary sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed, an oscillatable sheet-feeding member having sheet-taking devices for forwarding sheets to said cylinder, means for positioning the sheet against stops before taken by said feedingmember, means for moving said member on its forward stroke with a sheet at a speed greater than that of said cylinder, and means associated with said cylinder and feeding-member for frontregistering the sheets during said accelerated movement, said'last-mentioned means also reducing the speed of said member and sheet to that of said cylinder while delivering the sheet thereto.

8. In a sheet feeder for printing presses, a sheet-receiving cylinder having fixed stops adjacent its periphery, an oscillatable sheet-feeding member having grippers moving in an arcuate path for seizing and conveying the sheet to the cylinder, means for positioning the sheet against stops before taken by said feeding-member, and means for overfeeding said member against said cylinder stops during the conveying of the sheet from said member to said cylinder, said member delivering said sheet in registry with said cylinder during sheet transfer.

9. In a sheet feeder, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed, an oscillatable sheetfeeding member having travelling stops, means for moving said member and stops in a reverse direction against the front edge of the sheet at the end of the reverse stroke to aline same against the stops, and means for actuating said feedingmember at an accelerated speed but moving at cylinder speed when delivering the front-registered sheet on the cylinder.

10. In a sheet feeder, an oscillatable sheetfeeding member having sheet grippers, means for actuating said grippers, and means for moving said gripper-actuating means out of the path of the grippers during the movements of said feeding-member.

11. In a sheet feeder, an oscillatable sheetfeeding member having sheet grippers, means for actuating said grippers independently of said feeding-member, and means for moving said gripper-actuating means out of the path of the grippers during the movements of said feeding member.

12. In a sheet feeder, an oscillatable sheetfeeding member having sheet grippers, a cam for actuating said grippers, and means for moving said cam out of the path of the grippers during the movements of said feeding member.

13. In a sheet feeder, a sheet-receiving cylinder moving at a uniform speed, an oscillatable sheet-feeding member moving against a fixed stop to position said member at the sheettaking' position, and means for actuating said feeding member at an accelerated speed but moving at-cylinder speed when deliveriifl the sheet on said cylinder.

CHARLES W. HARROLD. 

